AMERICA’S ELECTORS CAST THEIR BALLOTS …
Last month nearly 140 million Americans cast their ballots for president of the United States. Today, 538 Americans will cast the votes that actually count.
In state capitals all across America, presidential electors will meet throughout the day to cast their ballots with the Electoral College.
Ordinarily, this process is pre-ordained … of course we are no longer in ordinary times.
The first electors are due to report at 10:00 a.m. EST in Indiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Tennessee and West Virginia. Hawaii will be the final state to cast its ballots (at around 7:00 p.m. EST).
The outcome of this tally shouldn’t be in doubt. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump captured 306 electoral votes in last month’s election compared to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton‘s 232 electoral votes.
To win the White House, 270 electoral votes are needed.
Based on the current voting schedule, Trump should hit that mark at around 3:00 p.m. EST – when electors from Alaska, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas and Washington State gather to have their votes counted.
One of Trump’s electors – a Republican from Texas named Christopher Suprun – has publicly said he will not honor the will of the people of his state.
Will others join him? We’ll find out soon …
After casting their votes today, electors’ ballots will be sent to Washington, D.C. On January 6, 2017, U.S. vice president Joe Biden will open those votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate – and count them.
That’s when it becomes “official.”
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